Jacinta Price is calling on Bill Shorten to apologise for his suggestion that “paternalistic know-it-all-whitefellas” are needlessly removing at-risk indigenous children from their homes.

In a Northern Territory trip on Friday, the Opposition Leader declared too many indigenous children are being taken away.

“The last thing they need is some know-it-all whitefella to come in paternalistic, as has been happening for 200 years, and say, ‘listen you’re just children and we’ll just fix it all for you’,” Shorten said.

To remedy the situation, Shorten is vowing to conduct a summit within the first 100 days of Labor being in power. The summit will look to give aboriginal communities more “self-determination” over the issue.

But Jacinta Price isn’t happy.

“I was just disgusted by these comments,” said the indigenous Alice Springs Councillor.

“These children aren’t being needlessly removed. In fact, too many aren’t being removed. When we are talking about children as young as two with STI’s, (I can’t believe) he has the audacity to say they’re being needlessly removed.”

Price is pressing Shorten to revoke his comments, saying they are offensive to all non-indigenous people who work tirelessly to improve indigenous welfare.

“He has insulted them and he should apologise for his comments, which are all about racial division, in my opinion.”